When the Longhorns dramatically stunned the USC Trojans in 2006, it became the most watched national championship game (35.6 million viewers) of the BCS era. But heavy star power – with names like Young, Leinart, and Bush – and an opponent from the second highest media market (Los Angeles) had a lot to with that.

MOST WATCHED BCS CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES, SINCE 1999

RANK

DATE

BOWL

TEAMS

AVG # OF VIEWERS

1

1/4/2006 *

Rose

Texas vs. USC

35,630,000

2

1/3/2003

Fiesta

Ohio State vs. Miami

29,104,000

3

1/8/2007 *

BCS

Florida vs. Ohio State

28,795,000

4

1/3/2001

Orange

Oklahoma vs. Florida State

27,240,000

5

1/1/2000

Sugar

Florida State vs Virginia Tech

26,962,000

Source: The Nielsen Company
* - Live + Same Day Viewing Estimates On This Page Include DVR Playback On The Same Day, Defined As 3AM-3AM

One thing’s for sure: the teams’ home markets will certainly be watching in full force. When Alabama defeated Florida in the SEC Championship Game last month, a whopping 50.2% of all TV households in the Birmingham market were tuned in. Meanwhile 32.3% of Austin’s TV households tuned in to Texas’s narrow 13-12 win over Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game.